Recreational Peace

Every now and then I get a knock-down, drag-out cold.

Last week was one of those times, thus the absence of Alli’s Two Cents.

After observing this cycle over the years, I have come to realize that this is my body’s way of letting me know that something’s out of whack. Usually there’s something dramatic going on – real or manufactured – that needs addressing. (I remember one year when I had bronchitis four times and my life truly was out of whack.) Either way, I’ve learned to listen to what I’ve decided is God saying, “Alli, we – your mind, body, and soul – need a time out.”

I once read an observation by noted physician and author Christiane Northrup that the only acceptable form of meditation here in the West is illness.

To my mind, that’s something to fix.

So for me, this episode was about being still and asking myself, “What is this about? What is really going on? What do I need to adjust?”

And then it hit me:

I realized that I wasn’t sick because I needed create an excuse to escape something I didn’t like about my life as in times past.

I have finally given myself permission to not only ask myself what I need and want but to give it to myself.

You see, since I have learned that I am responsible for creating or recreating my life as I see fit, this was not about fixing something on the outside but taking a look within.

The happiness, satisfaction, security, and peace I once sought from outside of myself I am now sure I can find within and that’s far more exciting than a new job, a new man, or a new anything outside of me. Those are all by-products of connecting and aligning with my goals, dreams, ideas, and vision.

And that’s what this downtime gave me – time to reconnect and realign.

For me this was an exhilarating discovery!

So even though I did have a cold, I felt great even though I felt miserable!

Recreational peace – recreating peace – means that I set aside time to sort through the menagerie of my thoughts and feelings and tell myself the truth about what’s really going on.

After all, that’s the original premise for recreation – recreating ourselves by taking time away from the day-to-day.

While I don’t recommend waiting until you get sick to take a time out, my recent rundown showed me that I am allowing and accepting that, as Oprah is so fond of saying, my life is always speaking.

For me, recreational peace is about listening.